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Freshfields’ Georgia Dawson and Raquel Flórez recognised for promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion and allyship
Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s (‘Freshfields’) senior partner Georgia Dawson and partner Raquel Flórez have been recognised for championing inclusivity by INvolve’s OUTstanding Ally Executives Role Model List 2023.
Each year, D&I membership group INvolve names the top 100 LGBTQ+ Executives, 100 LGBTQ+ Future Leaders and 50 Ally Executives – celebrating individuals for being a vocal ally and actively working to create an environment where LGBTQ+ colleagues can bring their best professional selves to work.
Recognised for a sixth consecutive year on the Role Model List, Dawson has placed LGBTQ+ inclusion as a central part of the firm’s overall D&I strategy, working alongside colleagues to set defined global targets at partner level. Dawson promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion and allyship across the firm, publicly championing the community’s achievements, and supporting its causes through her legal pro bono work.
Flórez is recognised on the Role Model List for the second year running. Alongside her duties as Freshfields’ head of people & reward in Spain, Flórez is a member of the D&I Committee in the Madrid office, the firm’s LGBTQ+ allyship network Halo Champions and a founding member of REDI - a corporate LGBTQ+ network in Spain.
Commenting on the announcement, Dawson said: “I’m delighted the firm’s focus on inclusion has been acknowledged today. We’re committed to delivering a culture where all colleagues can contribute and excel, and we’re making good progress in this important area and holding ourselves to account through our published annual D&I review. I’m proud to play my part, alongside many of my colleagues around the globe, in creating meaningful change at the firm and a positive impact for the wider industry.”
Florez said: “I’m honoured to be recognised on the list for two consecutive years and the broad visibility this creates for inclusivity. My D&I efforts in this area have never been about personal accolades, but instead with the aim to do the right thing by people and improve their lives. At our firm we have a global platform to raise awareness and, if we all play our part, we can make significant strides to a more equitable world.”
The firm has continued to make strong progress this year against its global D&I targets for 2021 – 2026, including having achieved the ambition to have at least five percent of our global partnership LGBTQ+ by 2026, three years ahead of schedule.
Since its launch, Freshfields’ LGBTQ+ employee network Halo has gone from strength to strength - now representing one of the firm’s largest employee networks with more than 100 members across our global network. We have also recently been awarded Gold status by Stonewall, and named one of the organisation’s Top Global Employers for 2023 - the seventh year the firm has achieved this recognition. Freshfields is a founding partner of Stonewall’s Global Diversity Champions programme, a best practice forum for global organisations that are committed to LGBTQ+ equality across the world.
